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Augusta County: Stuarts Draft couple dead after accident on Blue Ridge Parkway

Crystal Graham
Blue Ridge Parkway ACSO Augusta County sheriff
(© MargJohnsonVA – stock.adobe.com)

A Stuarts Draft husband and wife are dead after a single-vehicle crash on Sunday on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Nelson County.

Troy Hagwood, 62, and his wife, Cheryl Hagwood, 60, died after their vehicle crashed into a large tree and caught fire, according to the National Park Service external affairs office.

Troy Hagwood had been a National Park Service employee on the Blue Ridge Parkway for 16 years. He was off duty at the time of the accident.

Next of kin has been notified.

According to VSP, the accident was reported to dispatchers at 12:51 p.m. near milepost 11.

The preliminary investigation indicates Hagwood was traveling northbound when his vehicle struck a tree limb, left the roadway and then struck a large roadside tree and caught on fire.

The Parkway was closed for a short time while local crews worked to extinguish the fire.

Along with National Park Service law enforcement rangers, responding agencies included the Augusta County Sheriff’s Department, Wintergreen Fire Rescue and EMS, Nelson County and fire crews from George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.

 

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.